


Hidden

by greatermistral



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Shenko - Freeform, Slow Build, fshenko - Freeform, secret agent AU, the aliens are humans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4825832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greatermistral/pseuds/greatermistral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexis Shepard and Kaidan Alenko are two of their agency's best secret agents. They're partners in solving and stopping crime and have spent the last few years as an unstoppable team. When Shepard gets involved with something that means she's put into hiding, Kaidan tracks her down and wants to know what really happened that night, and to fill the gap in his life his best friend left. What he learns, however, will completely change the way he sees Shepard.</p><p>Shenko Secret Agent AU with slow building romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunion

On the days it took Alexis Shepard an extra five minutes to get out of bed, she often lay there and thought about what her life was like before. It all seemed like a dream, really, or a long forgotten fantasy. She rubs a hand on her face, and winces when she brushes the cuts on her face. She sits up, and holds the duvet around herself, treasuring the last few minutes of warmth. _A secret agent_ , and she laughs to herself, _the stuff of films and games_. That was her life, but not anymore, for what had happened had left her agency too alarmed to even think about sending her out again. No, they had sent her to some small town to give her time to ‘recover’.

If only they knew the truth.

 

* * *

 

Shepard had settled down into a daily routine, which had surprised her. She was used to improvising her days, fitting what she wanted to do around what she had to do. Now, she got up, ate, got dressed, tidied up, maybe went out to do some shopping or have a drink or two in the local pub or hit the gym, return, make dinner, eat dinner, clean up, and relax into the evening. Rinse and repeat, day after day. Did she mind? Not really, the training she had been through had taught her to adapt to every situation in the smoothest way possible. Not that this was some high risk mission – no, this was her everyday life now.

Usually while in the bathroom, Shepard avoid the mirror that hung on the wall like it would attack her even if she cast a glance to it. She also avoided gazing at reflections too long, as what she saw staring back at her was just another reminder of what had happened and what had put her here. Tonight, however, she was feeling decidedly brave. She stood in front of the mirror and stared herself down as if the women in the reflection was her enemy. Her black hair had grown just barely past shoulder length, which was against agent regulations – it was her own little act of rebellion. It fell past a face of sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw, with bright hazel eyes a contrast to her dark skin. A smattering of freckles covered her cheeks and nose, and a mole resided just below her right eye. Her eyebrows had been shaped sharply in such a way they gave her already harsh eyes a fierce tone. Her full lips had formed in a way that meant her top and bottom lip didn’t quite meet, showing the smallest glimpse of teeth.

Oh, and there was also the scars that marred the left side of her lips and the jagged line that ran from below her left cheekbone to across her nose.

In a flash, Shepard’s braveness vanished to be replaced with fury. Her jaw clenched and her eyes become more furious, and she turned away before the mirror ended up damaged. The scars were a reminder of what she had done wrong, what she had failed to do. She had failed to do her job right – she had failed to do the right thing and instead done the foolish thing! Before she realised it, her fist had thumped against the wall and her breathing was heavy. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to control her spiralling temper. That was another thing she missed about not being at work, it was a way for her to keep her short fuse in check. Shepard shook her head, and started chanting the mantra to herself that it was the right thing to do, there was no other way and –

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Shepard froze. It was nearly ten o’clock at night – why would anyone visit now? She certainly wasn’t expecting anybody. The knocking continued and Shepard willed herself out of the bathroom and slunk slowly down the stairs and into the hallway, racking her brain for any possible explanation to why someone would be here – and the only ones she could think of sent shivers of fear down her spine. She chided herself for acting like she was defenceless and straightened up as she approached the door, preparing to defend herself or attack whoever was at the other side of that door. But when she opened it, any anger, any fear, any bravado melted away into relief when she saw who was standing there.

The man grinned at her expression. “Long time, no see”.

She gave something of a light chuckle in return and stood back from the door, allowing him space to enter. “You don’t say. It’s been, what, nearly a year and a half?” She grinned. “I expected better from you, Special Agent Kaidan Alenko”.


	2. A Favour To Ask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who left Kudos and commented! <3 This chapter is longer as we're getting into things now, but some of it is still background info building up the story. Worry not, I'm planning plenty of action in the next chapter! As mentioned in the tags any alien characters from Mass Effect are human because this takes place in our time i.e. ME hasn't taken place yet. As always, let me know what you think! I apologise in advance for any mistakes, I wrote most of this out in one sitting. Enjoy!

“Now, is that any way to talk to an old friend?” Kaidan entered and made his way into the living room, Shepard closing the door behind him and locking it securely – she was happy Kaidan had finally found her, but it was very likely he could have also brought trouble with him. She took a deep breath and prepared herself before following him through to the lounge.

Kaidan had already took off his jacket and had thrown it onto the couch, and was now in the kitchen making them both some coffee. They had been partners since the beginning, and with this came a close bond one formed with relying so heavily on another. Their fellow agents had nicknamed them the dream team, as they were the perfect match. Kaidan excelled at tech and could work his way through any defences, whilst Shepard had perfected the espionage techniques. Of course, being secret agents meant that both of them had to be at least good at these things, but Shepard had a finesse that Kaidan lacked when it came to moving unnoticed by enemies or even taking them out, while Kaidan had always grasped different hacking techniques and various defence systems much better than she had. Both Shepard and Kaidan were excellent fighters as that was the starting point to being hired by their agency – it had a front as a hired muscle company where, if you proved you had a knack for putting people down, you could train as a secret agent and then go through a series of tests. If you failed, or if you just didn’t want to make the change, you could stay on as a mercenary.

Shepard looked up as Kaidan came through holding two cups. He placed one down in front of her and held on to the other one, sitting down next to her on the couch. “So, how did you find me?”

“I looked you up on one of the lieutenant’s computers while no-one was around,” he grinned, proud of his little act of rebellion. Lieutenants were those that had been in the agency so long that they had gained respect, and as such were put in charge of small groups of agents, giving them assignments and pairing them up.

“It took you over a year to do that?” Shepard chuckled, picking up her cup and bringing it up to her face. “You getting slow in your old age, Alenko?” She took a sip of her coffee. It was strong and sweet – just how she liked it. He had remembered. He smiled and shook his head.

“It took me a while to figure out what had happened to you. After the incident I got told you were in a private hospital recovering, then you were on a special assignment, and then I never heard anything afterwards,” he glared into his coffee and took a sip. “I had to beg Lieutenant Anderson to tell me what was really going on”.

Shepard gave him a sympathetic smile. She had missed Kaidan this past year and a half, but at least she’d known where he’d been. The bond between two partners was a special one, and the fact Kaidan had been brushed off was an insult. She subconsciously rubbed the side of her face, and hissed when her hand brushed the scar on her cheek. Kaidan’s head snapped up.

“Are you ok?” His eyes had softened with concern and was now inspecting the deep cuts on her face. Shepard nodded, eager to veer off the subject.

“Yeah, I’ve been better but I’m getting there. Slowly but surely.” She smiled softly. “Anyway, how is anyone?”

Kaidan’s face brightened and he nodded. “Yeah, they’re good. Liara, Tali and Garrus miss you. Anderson’s still straight-to-business as usual. James is also pining after you, says no-one else spars with him as good as you”.

Shepard chuckled, and the mention of her friends made her night a little brighter. Tali and Garrus were another pair of agents, Tali being the expert in tech and close range fighting, while Garrus was skilled with a sniper rifle. Liara wasn’t an agent, but an information gatherer, working tirelessly to find assignments and any and all information to aid in completing an assignment. From building blueprints to enemy movements and hierarchy, information gatherers were the best of the best. James was a mercenary, and although he was a few years younger than Shepard, he had made a name for himself and Shepard had found herself enjoying sparring with him on a regular basis. He had gone through the agent training for the sole purpose of gaining the skills, as the large mass of muscles he carried meant subtlety wasn’t his strong suit. He was a proficient fighter, and while Shepard was good of being evasive and disabling enemies, James could do a lot of damage.

“Anyway, I didn’t come here at night just for a catch-up,” Kaidan leaned back and relaxed again. “I need your help”.

She raised a wary eyebrow. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to give me more than that…”

“Ok, ok. Liara picked up some Intel on a new gang. They’re nothing major and the agency doesn’t see any need to pursue them, but me and Liara do,” he took a sip of his coffee. “Liara thinks they might be a source of info and I agree. So I want you to help me bust down one of their doors”.

Shepard’s eyes widened, and for a split second a part of her wondered if this was some dream. Kaidan saw the expression of her face and went to speak, but Shepard cut him off.

“I’d love to,” she said, awed expression fixed on Kaidan.

“Are you sure? I mean, are you up to it?” His eyes, the same hazel colour as hers but a little dimmer, flicked to her scars. “I don’t want you getting hurt again…”

She shook her head and reassured him she was up to it. She knew she was, she was the best at what she did and Shepard would be damned if she would give up doing what she loved because of one night, one slip up. When she expressed this to him, Kaidan nodded, clearly relived her determined attitude had remained.

“We’re going to hit them tomorrow morning. Don’t worry about the agency, they’re not involved with this so they’re not going to try and stop you from coming along”. Kaidan smirked.

“So, it’s just you and mean, on our own, kicking ass and taking names?” Kaidan nodded and she grinned. “Just like old times”.

* * *

 

Kaidan and Shepard stayed up chatting for the next few hours, reminiscing about jobs they’d been on together, or times like when Kaidan had tried to flirt with a girl in a bar only to fall off the barstool drunk and Shepard had carried him home over her shoulders. Being with Kaidan reminded her not only how good he was as a work partner, but also as one of her closest friends. He had been at the agency for a couple of years longer than she had when she had joined and had took her under his wing, bringing her up to be the elite agent she was today. Such things were frowned on by their superiors, as values such as independence and intuition (which Shepard had anyway) were important in making sure people came away from an assignment alive, but people took a glance at this pair with their black hair, dark skin and hazel eyes and assumed they were related somehow, and left them alone.

Eventually, Shepard’s domestic life caught up with her and she failed to stifle a yawn from staying up later than she usually did. Kaidan smiled and rubbed his eyes – clearly he needed sleep too.

“Well, if we’re going to hit this place tomorrow then I suggest we get some beauty sleep,” a thought came to Shepard’s mind and she looked around. “Wait, where’s your stuff? You haven’t brought any gear or any change of clothes”.

Kaidan nodded and stood up, getting his keys out of his jeans pocket. “Left it in my car. Didn’t want you to think I was being uncourteous by showing up on your doorstep and dumping all my belongings on your floor”.

He winked and made his way to the hallway. Shepard chuckled and shook her head. She stood up and took now empty and stone cold cups to the kitchen, rinsing them and putting them in the sink. She turned around when she heard the front door shut and he re-entered, carrying three holdalls which he dropped to the floor. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“How do you expect us to kick ass if we haven’t got the correct ass-kicking equipment?” He gestured to the smallest two of the holdalls. “I grabbed your gear as well, figured you might need it”.

She thanked him and grinned, the reality of the situation setting in. This was happening. It was really happening.

The wave of excitement she felt was soon washed away as she failed to stifle yet another yawn and she felt the full wave of her weariness. Kaidan picked up the biggest holdall and looked at her expectantly.

“Ok, I think we both need to hit the hay. You can stay in the guest room,” she walked past him and headed up the stairs, flicking off the lights as she went. He followed her up she gestured to the spare room, before turning to go into her own room.

“Night, Alexis”.

A feeling of warmth spread in her stomach, and she put it down to the excitement of being reunited with her best friend. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

“Night, Kaidan”.

With that she went into her room and into her bed, trying to calm herself enough to prepare for the day ahead.

 


	3. Back in Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait in updating guys! I recently moved to university so I've been focused on that and trying to adjust. I wrote most of this in one sitting and although I did read through it please forgive any mistakes. Just a warning - this chapter contains a bit of ass-kicking so if violence isn't your thing back away now. I know this isn't very Shenko-y so far, but it is a slow build, and I'm planning some cute friendship moments in the next chapter so you won't be completely deprived. As always, let me know what you think!

The familiar surge of adrenaline Shepard felt in the moments leading up to executing an assignment hit her like a wave. She felt almost giddy, and was bouncing her knee to help her compose herself. She and Kaidan were in a car, gathering as much information as possible as they eyed up their target – an old laundrette. It had been closed down for such a long time that people wouldn’t look twice, and this was the perfect hangout for a gang. Or, well, a small part of a gang.

“How you feeling?” Kaidan almost mumbled, as if raising his voice to anything above such would give away their location. Shepard turned her head to look at him, and saw his eyes were focused on her bouncing leg.

“Fine. I’m fine,” she rolled her head, stretching her neck. It was a long time since she had been in uniform, and she forgot how constricting it could feel at times.

The uniform consisted of what looked to be a bulletproof vest and pants, and while the top piece _was_ bullet proof, the pants were made of a thick material to protect against broader blows. Extra padding was given to vulnerable areas, such as the shoulders, elbows, knees, hands, and around the chest. Over the top of all this was a thick leather cat suit. When Shepard had first seen herself in the ensemble, she had scrunched her nose up and said that the movies were misleading. When asked to elaborate, she had remarked, “Well, you think cat suits make you look hot, but with all this padding it just makes you look like a lot of square lumps”.

Of course, the advantage of this was it helped to conceal an agent’s gender, and more importantly, their identity. This was aided by the fact all agents wore what could only be described as a small fencing mask, that not only protected the face, but hid it. The outfit was topped off my steel cap toe boots and a utility belt around the middle that held a pistol, knife, and all the tech an agent could ever need.

Kaidan looked at her and raised an eyebrow, and when she shot him a questioning look back, Kaidan glanced down towards her still wobbling leg. Shepard stopped and stared him straight in the eye.

“I’m fine”.

He nodded and pressed a finger to his ear piece and made sure it was on, before putting on his helmet. Shepard copied him and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. Placing a hand on the baton on her belt, Shepard approached the back of the old building slowly and cautiously. When she reached the back door, she took position at one side, and Kaidan at the other. She placed a hand on the handle and looked at him; he nodded to signal he was ready. Shepard tentatively tested the handle, and to her surprise and relief, it was unlocked. Pulling the handle all the way down and pushing the door just ajar enough to allow her and Kaidan entry, she nodded to him before slipping inside the laundrette.

 

They found themselves in a narrow corridor that ran the length of the back of the building, and by the hooks on the wall, it looked like it had been used as some sort of cloakroom. Shepard crouched down and slowly made her way down to the doorway at the end of the corridor, watching her step and the entranceway before her. Upon reaching it, she peeked in, and signalled at Kaidan to stop. The room look like it had once been used as some sort of break room, with a counter and sink taking up one side of the room, and a small table and chairs occupying the other half. The room was well lit, as all windows in the front had been boarded up, giving the agent an optimal view. Sat at one of the chairs at the dingy table was a man, and by his relaxed position, it seemed he was asleep. Shepard turned her head to face Kaidan and raised one finger. He nodded, and turned his head to the side – a question – _can you take him?_ A shot of adrenaline burst through Shepard’s veins, and she nodded yes. She turned her attention back to the man and rolled her shoulders. She crouched down even lower to minimise noise and moved forward into the room at a snail’s pace. Luckily, the room was small, and she reached him after half a second. Without wasting anymore time, she leapt forward, and locked one arm around his neck, and the other clamped firmly on his mouth. Shepard kept her vice like grip until he stopped struggling, and a couple more seconds after that – just to be safe, of course. With a deep breath, she slowly released him, and he didn’t move; all that indicated he was alive was the heavy rise and fall of his chest. The agency had a strict rule of only kill when absolutely necessary, as there were some things that even they weren’t above. So, whilst this guy was out for the count, it wasn’t guaranteed to be for long. They needed to get the job done, and fast. Kaidan moved silently in the room and gave her the thumbs up, before approaching the doorway to the shop floor. Shepard was about to follow him when she saw the gang badge that decorated his jacket, and her heart stuttered.

_They don’t know who you are_ , she repeated to herself, _they don’t know, they don’t know, they don’t know_. Her work ethic meant she quickly recovered, but it didn’t stop a part of her laughing to herself at the irony of the situation. She was getting back on her feet by stealing information from the very people that had very nearly destroyed her, and not just in the physical way. She would have contemplated it further had Kaidan not caught her attention with a wave of his fingers. 8 fingers up. 8 people in the next room. A little bit of a challenge, but manageable. She grasped her baton firmly and made her way over to him, looking into the room and evaluating the situation.

Washing machines lined the sides of the wall with two rows of dryers in the middle of the room. 5 people were in the room currently, the nearest to them stood with his back turned directly in front of the doorway – a bad move. The other four were further in, two were talking, one was entertaining himself with pulling apart one of the old washers, and the other was glaring out of the boarded windows through a slit. Shepard guessed the other 3 were in a side room that took up a quarter of the room, with a small archway allowing entrance near to the doorway. She also deduced that was where any potential information was being kept, as there was no sign of anything in the main area. Kaidan caught her attention and gestured towards the smaller room – he wanted her to handle in there while he handled the five in the front. She agreed, not wanting to try her luck, and her blood came alive with a sudden anger. This was a chance to get some kind of revenge, and she was going to grab it with both hands. She withdrew her baton, Kaidan mirroring her, and held up her hand with five fingers up. Slowly, each finger went down until she formed a fist, and without wasting another second, they leapt into the room and into action.

Shepard saw Kaidan take down the guy nearest to them with a quick whip with the baton to the head before she advanced into her room. The man nearest to her spun around at the commotion and she quickly took him out with a swift kick in the stomach to weaken him before using all her strength to ram him into the wall, rendering him unconscious. The second man tried to defend himself by aiming a punch at her, but she caught it with her free hand before bringing the baton down on his tense arm, at least fracturing the bone and putting him out of the fight. That left one women who was stood behind a desk with a laptop and multiple flies splayed out in front of her. She snarled at Shepard and moved around the desk with an incredible agility, giving Shepard little time to prepare herself before the women delivered a kick to her thigh. Shepard slightly stumbled backwards before swinging forward with the baton clumsily, and the women reeled backwards. This is what Shepard was counting on – before the woman had time to react, she lunged forward and dealt a swift punch to her face. Before the women could recover, Shepard swung the baton into her side, knocking the breath out of her opposition and probably bruising a rib in the process. The woman fell to the floor clutching her side, and Shepard didn’t waste a second in gathering up the files and the laptop before swiftly exiting out into the shop floor. She was just in time to see Kaidan kick a woman against the wall to knock the wind out of her before he sprang forward towards Shepard and she nodded, and together they raced out of the back, not giving anyone a chance to catch up. They got into the car they had arrived in and Shepard clung on to the information she had recovered while Kaidan raced forward, all the while keeping a keen eye on the rear view mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. They headed to a location Liara had sent them, where another vehicle would be waiting which they could switch to and get to Shepard’s house in without being recognised. They were to leave all they had gathered in the glovebox of the original vehicle, as Liara had assured them she’d have someone there waiting to collect it when they arrived at the switch point. From there, it was all on Liara’s shoulders, and Kaidan and Shepard just had to play the waiting game.

 

* * *

 

 

The duo arrived back at Shepard’s in high spirits, and had removed their helmets when they had got to the switch point. Kaidan parked up and they both got out, smiles plastered on their faces as the endorphins flooded their systems. They had done it.

As they approached Shepard’s door, Kaidan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him tightly, and despite the thick protection they wore, it comforted Shepard.

“That was fantastic. Me, you – drinks tonight on me to celebrate. I’ll even make us a steak sandwich,” Kaidan’s enthusiasm was hard to ignore, and Shepard found herself mirroring his excitement.

“Sure thing. I never turn down free alcohol or food.” He released her as they reached the door and he stretched as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, I think I’m going to hit a cold shower and hopefully nap through the come down,” He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Glad to see you’ve still got it Shep”.

She chuckled, and for a moment she could swear she was back in the agency barracks. Everyone called her “Shep” or “Shepard” there because… Actually, she didn’t know. Only close friends called her Alexis, and all too easily even they slid into the habit of calling her by her last name. She followed him up the stairs and with each step, felt her happiness fading and her shoulders sagging. She reached her room and closed the door, locked it and plodded over to the bed, dropping down onto the mattress.

No matter how hard she tried to overcome it, what had happened that night would always be her demon, haunting her and reminding her of how she had failed and been weak. Seeing those… those… thugs again had hit her harder than she would ever admit. _No_ , a small part of her protested _, you protected him in the only way you knew how, hell, you probably saved his life_. But as she heard the sounds of the shower running in the next room, the tears fell from eyes. She sat, staring into space, so numb yet so hurt at the same time, letting all the pent up emotions fall silently from her eyes, soaking her cheeks.

She didn’t even remember falling asleep.


End file.
